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dclewis85
I got a warning for posting a hypothesis about the expanding universe earlier. Apparently step two of the scientific method isn't allowed here. Great forum mods.
Peer-reviewed publication is the way the professional scientific community identifies and propagates the good ideas while weeding out the ones that don't work, and that's why we have this rule. The forum guidelines I linked to explain some of the rationale for this rule, and you will find many discussions in the "Feedback" subforum... but the summary is that for almost twenty years Physics Forums has been just about the only place on the internet where non-specialists can interact with real practicing scientists, and that rule is essential to making it that way.Our mission is to provide a place for people (whether students, professional scientists, or others interested in science) to learn and discuss science as it is currently generally understood and practiced by the professional scientific community.
Step two of the scientific method is the formulation of a hypothesis. This involves making an educated guess about the relationship between variables based on previous knowledge or observations.
Step two of the scientific method is banned on this forum because it involves making a statement that has not yet been tested or proven. This forum aims to only discuss scientific topics that are backed by evidence and research.
Yes, you can still discuss your hypothesis on this forum, but it must be supported by evidence and research. Simply stating a hypothesis without any evidence or experimentation is not allowed.
If you discuss step two of the scientific method on this forum, your post may be removed or you may receive a warning from the moderators. Continual violation of this rule may result in a ban from the forum.
Yes, step two of the scientific method is an important part of the overall scientific process. It allows scientists to form a testable explanation for a phenomenon and guides the rest of the research process. However, on this forum, we only discuss hypotheses that have been supported by evidence and experimentation.